


The One Thing You Can't Replace

by Nerdamongnerds



Series: Irreplaceable [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-24 13:31:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20706809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdamongnerds/pseuds/Nerdamongnerds
Summary: Bucky wakes up in a hotel room with a few things he didn't have the night before1. A huge hangover2. Someone taking a shower in the attached bathroom3. A wedding ring on his hand that he's never seen before.





	1. What the hell happened last night?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to the beginning of my very self indulgent fic. I'm going to tell you straight up that this plot is both based on a storyline from a mid 2000's sitcom that almost no one remembers and also researched enough that google thinks I'm opening a bakery in New York and getting gay married on my trip to a specific hotel in Connecticut, so that's fun.
> 
> Thanks to lilyinthesnow for helping beta for me!

Bucky woke up alone, which wasn't that unusual, especially for the past few months.

What was unusual was the fact that he couldn't remember anything about the night before (not helped by an absolutely massive hangover), that he was pretty sure he was in a hotel, and that there was definitely someone taking a shower in the attached bathroom and what was that they were humming?

Bucky groaned to himself and jerked upright as he recognized the song as Wedding March, which prompted a fuzzy memory of him singing it last night.

Oh no.

No.

Nononononono.

Bucky scrambled for his phone and sat up in bed as he frantically tried to figure out just what the hell had happened last night. He remembered reading Brock and Jack's wedding announcement (only six months after catching the two of them together in the bed he and Brock shared? On some level Bucky knew he was better off, but it still stung), leaving the bakery with Nat before walking on autopilot to the subway station, getting on the first train that got there, and riding it for a long time, until it occurred to him he might want to get off. He had called a Lyft to take him to the nearest bar before even registering where he was, ordering shots and then… nothing much after that.

He managed to fight through the headache and light sensitivity after several minutes to find and open his email, learning from the rideshare receipt that he was dropped off at a pub at 2:56 pm in Stamford, Connecticut, and from his map app, he seemed to still be there. Okay, not too bad, he hadn't left the country at least, and wasn't too far from home, and Brock was living in DC, which was the opposite direction. Bucky felt a sigh of relief when he saw his phone and didn't even see any calls to that asshole. Good job, drunk Bucky, I'm proud of you. Of course, there were still about a hundred questions that still needed answering, but the fact that the worst hadn't happened calmed him some. He rubbed the back of his neck, and stopped when he felt something unusual on his left hand. He slowly brought his hand forward to look at the new ring there.

What.

The. 

_**Fuck**_.

Bucky picked up his phone in a panic and dialed, listening to it ring without breathing, just to get a tired, grumpy ex-fiance on the eighth time.

"Jesus fuck, James, are we really going to do this at 4 in the morning?"

Bucky was confused on several levels, not the least of which was the fact that the clock on the hotel nightstand said 6:02 am.

"Do what? Where are you?" 

"Jack and I are in Colorado, seeing his family. I'm assuming that this is the desperate 'I want you back, please don't marry him, marry me, I can change baby' bullshit phone call I've been expecting for months, or am I wrong?" Bucky could hear the self satisfied smirk in Brock's voice and his blood boiled for so many reasons, not the least of which being that Brock had never wanted to spend any time with _Bucky's_ family, who lived in the same damn city as the both of them had. And also, how dare he just assume Bucky would call? (He had wanted to, sure, and sometimes Natasha taking his phone from him was the only reason he hadn't a long time ago, but still)

"You're wrong. Fuck you."

And then he hung up.

Okay.

Okay.

Time to take stock of the situation.

He had what looked like a wedding ring, and about 12 hours of missing time, and was in what he was guessing was a complete stranger's (who also may or may be his husband) hotel room.

Okay.

He was NOT going to panic. He has just told off his douchebag ex! He was the owner of one of the better up and coming bakeries in New York! He could do this! And then the water and humming stopped, and Bucky's heart rate started to triple.

_**Shit**_.

The shower door opened, letting wisps of steam frame the damp figure wearing only a towel around his waist. Bucky's eyes bulged out of their sockets as they traced every perfectly defined muscle on this Greek god of a man, and then took a look at the guy's face, and he nearly passed out.

This perfect specimen, his apparent husband, had eyes that Bucky would know anywhere. Little Stevie Rogers, Bucky's first love and the one who got away, who had apparently done a lot of growing over the past few years, was absolutely beaming at him. "Good morning, hubby," he said with a proud tone.

Well.

At least it wasn't a stranger.


	2. The Night Before

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Bucky was under the covers, where he had been for the last 20 minutes. He could feel that Steve had gotten dressed and was sitting next to him on top of the sheets, his hand finding Bucky’s back and rubbing it reassuringly. He was saying something, but Bucky was panicking too much to really listen. Still, the warmth and weight next to him was helpful, and before too long, Bucky was able to stick his head out to talk to Steve, who was annoyingly looking at Bucky like he was the best thing in the world. 

“What happened last night?” Bucky asked, ready to hide again at a moment’s notice. 

Steve smiled and tilted his head as he handed Bucky a cup of coffee. “You don’t remember?”

Bucky held the mug as he held it close, noticing that it was made exactly how he liked it, two sugars and a splash of milk, which was strange because he and Steve hadn’t talked since Steve moved to Oregon and the two broke up, just over five years before.

As Bucky sipped the coffee, bits and pieces of the night came back to him. “I was in the bar, and then… you were there….”

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Bucky was angrily stabbing at a strawberry in the bottom of his cocktail glass, when he heard a familiar voice.

“Bucky?”

He turned and looked toward the sound, and saw a big, blond, blurry shape sort of waving at him, stepping closer and squinting. “Steve?”

“Wow, Buck, you look… well, drunk, honestly, but other than that, incredible.”

“Yeah? Well you look… bigger. Weren’t you like…” He made motions with his hands that meant ‘smaller’ and ‘thinner’.

Steve chuckled, and wasn’t that the best sound Bucky had ever heard? “Yeah, well, you were right to tell me to go meet Dr. Erskine in Oregon. He made… all this happen." He gestured to his new body. “Can you believe it, though? Of all the places in the world to run into each other, wow, this is amazing.”

“...You look  _ hot.” _ Bucky said, his internal filter just gone. “But still  _ so pretty.” _

“Well, everything looks better when you’re drinking through  rosé colored glasses,” Steve said as he sat down, immediately getting Bucky leaning all over him. “Still as touchy as ever, I see.”

“So  _ pretty." _

Bucky ordered something pink and fruity and delicious that came in a huge fishbowl and drained it between the two of them in 10 minutes, both of them laughing and touching at the end of it. Steve took the paper umbrella from the drink and put it behind Bucky’s ear after a few tries, clearly drunk as well at this point. The gesture was so sweet and kind and Steve smelled so good and was so pretty and nice, that Bucky just blurted out.

“Let’s get married!”

A Google search, a twenty minute trip to the courthouse across the street, a set of rings from a street vendor, and a surprisingly helpful former minister later, and the knot was tied.

Legally. 

THE NEXT MORNING 

Steve sat by while the other man was hugging the toilet, still hoping this was a bad practical joke, or a dream or something. Bucky mumbled something to that effect into the bowl, but Steve just smiled and pulled out his phone, pulling up a photo of the two of them from last night, both drunk with proud smiles and holding their hands up to show the rings, sunset in the background. If it wasn't solid proof of last night actually happened, it would have been a great picture. Bucky groaned into the toilet again as Steve kept rubbing his back. 

"I can't believe this."

Steve's voice was annoyingly happy, considering the situation. "I can't believe it either."

But before Bucky could snap back with a witty retort, an alarm went off on Steve's phone, and he stood.

"Shit. I have to get back to the firehouse. I've already called Natasha for you, she's on her way up here, and I'm glad you guys are still friends, by the way. The room is paid for until noon, so you can stay until then, and I'll call you." 

Steve had his duffle bag over his shoulder and was walking out of the room when he turned around and beamed at Bucky on his way out the door, which was especially odd because the brunet looked like hell warmed over.

"You. Me.  _ Married. _ Isn't it great?"

That was one word for it.

**Author's Note:**

> I have every beat of this story planned, but I have a job and will be moving soon and all that, so I'm not sure how fast I can be with the chapters, but I can promise that the more feedback I get, the faster new stuff will be posted. (I live and die by audience interaction)  
My tumblr is nerdamongnerds if you want to say hi, or bennyboylewis, if you would like a sneak peek at an oc who will be showing up in upcoming chapters!  
Take care, drink water, don't stay up to late, I love every one of you.  
Even you. Yes, you, the one reading this right now. 💜


End file.
